The Italian way
by Pax Agrona
Summary: Italy is a carefree, sunny nation, so why did he join Germany in the Axis? What is the reason behind the way he acts? Italy is young as nation, but has old memories...
1. Meeting Ghosts

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia: Axis Powers, Hidekaz Himaruya owns it.

(a/n: In real life even the most silly people can sometimes turn out to have reasons why they act like this, so I took Italy and fleshed up his characterisation. Outside of that this is an experiment in writing style, it's also a one-shot, but the possibility exists it could become a group of one-shots about Italy.)

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**Of Ghosts and Meetings.**

_By Pax Agrona_

_When Feliciano first saw him he thought ghost's had finally caught up with him to come and haunt him._

He had heard of him before, of course, from Gilbert, from other nations and even from his own government, but he had never personally met him before.

When Gilbert had bragged about his little brother; "Becoming more awesome every day, though not as awesome as myself of course." He had pictured him as a twin to Gilbert, perhaps a bit shorter, or younger, and by what he had heard more serious, but still, he had pictured a white heared, red eyed, teenager. Not a grown up mirror image of the long gone Holy Roman Empire.

_**Feliciano wasn't brave.**_

So when the first thing that his mind came up with was "Ghost!" he bolted. Looking back to it the whole hiding in a box of tomatoes in the midst of a forest wasn't really the most brightest of ideas, but be fair, wouldn't you panic if the grown-up ghost of someone you knew a long time ago sudenly appeared? Well to Feleciano it was more then distressing.

Playing a speaking tomato box fairy wasn't a ingenious plan either, he was the first to admit that, even if it had seemed like a good plan at the time, but Feliciano wasn't a genius either, he was- he was Italy, and that was what he was, no more, no less.

_**Feliciano wasn't brave.**_

_S_o when Germany, because in the meanwhile he had gotten to the conclusion that this was indeed Gilbert's little brother, pried open his box he had begged like the best of Italians, and even then he had gotten hit by the back of Germany's rifle. That had hurt!

_**Feliciano really hated violence.**_

So when Germany had captured him, and Feliciano, though somewhat fearful at first had gone on with his life just like he had gone on with his life during all other invasions, after all if there was anything he was good at outside of running, it was adapting. During that time he learned that Germany, or Ludwig as that was his name, was very alike, yet slightly different to the boy he had known as Holy Roman Empire. It only confused him more. Was Ludwig that boy or did he just look like him?

After a while he came to a conclusion that, even if Ludwig had been the Holy Roman Empire once, he didn't recognise Feliciano, so it wouldn't change anything, anyway.

_Feleciano couldn't help but feel uneasy that the Holy Roman Empire and Germany were so very alike in ambitions_.

To create an empire, to unify nations through a war that would shake the world to it's core.

**Feleciano really hated violence.**

Would they also be alike in End? That was something Feliciano could not let happen, would not let happen.

_**Feliciano wasn't brave, and he really hated violence**_, but to make sure history would not repeat itself he would ally himself with Ludwig in a war.

So even as he tried to help Ludwig (and failed to, most times). He couldn't help but to repeat a conversation he had a long time ago in his mind.

_"Become one with the Roman Empire!"_

_"No I won't, I can't!"_

_"Why not, why won't you?"_

_"Because if you become to big you'll disappear like grandfather Rome did! I don't want that to happen!"_

_**Feleciano wasn't brave, and he really hated violence**_, but he would not loose a friend to his own ambitions again, he would not let Ludwig disapear into nothing, not like the boy he had once known, even if it meant fighting in the most vicious war ever.

And if he couldn't save him from disapearing, then Feleciano would at least be right next to him when he did.

And so he started to produce white flags.

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Review, otherwise Italy will sendyou his faulty granates.(Seriously, I really need to have opinions about how I wrote this.)


	2. White Flags

(A/N: Hey, the last oneshot had a lot of response, at least in my eyes it did. Much love to all who reviewed ! This is actually my third idea for these bundle of Italy oneshots but the second one still has some points I must see to. (It'd be another one hinting HRE and Germany as being the same, with a visit from France and a small scene with dear ol' Prussia.)

**White flags **

_By Pax Agrona_

_2_

Everybody knew Italy cared about how Germany thought of him.

But not many knew that he didn't when it was about his white flags.

He didn't care about what anybody thought about his flags, because he knew he was right and they were wrong.

So there was anything he stood for it were his white flags, that was something he wouldn't change, not today and not ever. He didn't want to change that!

_The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. _

_It is also used to symbolise surrender, since it is often the weaker military party which requests negotiation._

Coward they said.

They all seemed to see, and think of them as a sign of weakness and surrender, and yes, they were the flag of surrendering , but they were more.

Notice the more here, Yes?

You see a white flag , stands symbol for ceasefire, negotiations and truces, a chance at peace, does that seem weak? He didn't think so, and those who did? Well congratulations to them! They're warmongering idiots, lets go back to war and shoot another thousand to kingdom come, shall we?

No, thank you, there is already enough war going on for him.

A lot of people seemed to forget the other meanings behind his beloved flags, which was actually kind of sad, he thought personally. They saw only the ugly parts of the picture, ignoring that the picture as a whole was actually quite beautiful.

They were strong flags, in his eyes at least, peace and negotiations were signs of diplomacy. Knowing when to surrender was, or at least should be common sense. Common sense that a lot of nations seemed to suddenly lack during war, he noticed.

He wasn't a nation of war and imperialism, he didn't flourish in war.

That was something for England, Germany, his grandfather or America even.

But not him.

A white flag for Italy, was like a blank canvas; the blank canvas in peace made him able to paint his countries culture on it, in war, battles and anguish took up all space, colouring his flag black and red with fire, blood and darkness.

He liked to paint nature and portraits, but he hated to paint wars. During the time he fought he never painted, if he did he was afraid that the paintings would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

He didn't like to open his eyes during war.

In peace he flourished, he made beautiful buildings, fashionable clothes ( that made even Big brother France secretly jealous.), beautiful art ( that France was so jealous of that he took it for himself.), rich tasty cuisine, and dozen of other things, in peace his culture blossomed. The flag fit him perfectly! Didn't they see that?

If he didn't know for sure that Romano would absolutely kill him for it, he'd make it their national flag, but he was quite sure that if he did that, his brother would do some…unmentionable things to him.

His brother was scary!

_In the Roman Empire, the historian Cornelius Tacitus mentions a white flag of surrender in A.D. 109. _

_Before that time, Roman armies would surrender by holding their shields above their heads. _

He learned about the flag, and what it meant from his grandfather, strangely enough nobody seemed to remember that the use of white flags was something he learned from the great and powerful Roman Empire, though Italy did use it more then his grandfather had ever done.

Just like painting the use and symbolism of white flags were something he learned from his grandfather, and he would cherish it just as much.

_The peacemaking symbolism of the white flag is enshrined in the Geneva Convention, though it's rarely mentioned in national flag codes. _

_Italy is perhaps the only country whose flag guidelines specifically mention the white flag as an indication that a fighting force wants to call for a parley, or surrender negotiations._

Personally he thought that the other nations were just too in love with fighting to appreciate his flags, and no matter how dumb and cowardly they thought him to be, the joke was on them, every time they lost a war and got beaten up for it. Every time that happened he knew that he had been right.

In his mind he would then point and laugh at them, while painting a peaceful seaside .

And people wondered why he was so cheerful all time.

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(A/N: I believe that Italy's memory goes a lot farther then the diffusion and fall of the roman empire, after all he travelled with his grandfather in canon, which means Italy has seen his grandfather lose power and all bad things that come from fighting. It also means that Italy is OLD and even under all that idiocy some worldly wisdom must be hidden. He turned out more vindictive then I had thought at first, but I had that carving for mafiatalia for a while…plus it makes a great ending!)

_The text in Italic came from:_

_KOERER B. Why Do surrendering soldiers wave white flags? _

_Wikipedia, White Flag_

**PS: Review? Please? Do it for the Pasta!**


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